Mathias (#1 The Chronicles of the Demon Wolf)

His hands tuck inside the pocket of his trousers as he watches from afar. A smile plays on his lips while his eyes focus on the battle happening in the administration building. He never wanted to do this but they took everything from him. Everyone took everything from him. He had nothing left except those painful memories of being thrown into the time loop to suffer and die slowly. Now, he could execute his revenge just like how he planned during all those years. It took him decades to gather this much of power inside of him. The time loop is more than just a place to keep the criminals away. It is a place where magic energy flows greater. The stronger the time loop, the greater the magic energy to keep it intact. Stefano and everyone else will face his revenge.

He watches and keeps on watching the scene unfolding before his eyes. He knows a lot of things changed since the Kingsley took over the Council decades ago. There is no need to rush to get what he wanted just yet.

He just wanted to test the water.

Mathias was the reason why he lost his mind. If it wasn’t because of the demon wolf, he would have gotten out of the time loop long ago. He touches the burnt mark around his neck. A demon wolf’s blood mixed with a spell had held him captive for decades before he eventually found a way to break free. But, he’s not really free yet. His freedom is close and yet far from his reach.

The only way he could break free from the spell if he has the same blood as the one cast on the spell. He needs Mathias’ blood to break completely from the spell. The spell is draining his life essence slowly. The further he stays away from the time loop, the suffocating it will get. He is bound to the time loop because of the spell. The lesser his life essence, the faster his actual age will keep up with his body. He will die before he could exact his revenge. But before his death comes, he wants them to suffer for what they did to him.

“Their defense is impenetrable, Sire,” one of his followers says. “The demon wolves are everywhere.”

He is not only worried about the demon wolves. The Southern Werewolves Pack is lead by gifted people. The demon wolves are one thing. Then, there are half-God hybrids and shapeshifters that he needs to worried about. The pack utilizes these gifted people to protect the Council. Even so, there must be a flaw.

“Sire?” the follower calls as he keeps his silence.

“Retreat,” he speaks at last before disappearing into the thin air, leaving a trail of black smoke.

A pair of hands slam on the mahogany table. Alpha Mason of the Lycan pack stands with his nose flaring. “We’ve lost a lot of good men just because you refused to kill him long ago.”

Mathias stands before the window with his hands clasped behind his back. So far, there are twenty-seven fatalities and more are still fighting for their lives in the hospital. Despite the small number of the attackers, the Council suffered more because the attackers were all Necromancers. A magic practitioner is considered powerful in the term of long-range combat. The Enforcers would need to get in close proximity to deal with a magic practitioner. But, by the time they got closer, it was already too late.

“Alpha Mason, you know he cannot be killed by anything from the world of the living,” Lady Astrid interrupts.

“So, we’re just simply throwing him back into the time loop again? And wait for him to break free again?”

“He won’t break for the second time.” Mathias spins around. “There would be no second time.”

“What do you mean?” Sir William of the Vampire coven questions.

“I’ll find him and I’ll kill him.”

“Um, not to break your bubble or anything, I thought you know he cannot be killed by anything from the world of the living,” Alpha Carlson reminds him. “Lady Astrid just mentioned it a few seconds ago.”

Mathias looks at them one by one but holds his answer to himself. He has an answer to the question that has been plaguing them. There is nothing that cannot be killed. If an Angel could be killed, then the mastermind behind this attack could be killed too. All Mathias needs to do is to find the specific weapon he has in his mind.

“I’ve got it covered,” he says at last. “For now, we will strengthen our defenses around the land until this is all over.”

He dismisses the Councilors knowing the risk he’s about to take to make this right. Alpha Mason was right. Mathias should have killed the mastermind long ago.

“You’re not going to that direction, aren’t you?” Ryker leans against the wall—legs and arms crossed as if he has been expecting the older brother to exit the meeting room.

“You know he would,” Tanto comes out of nowhere. “It’s Mathias we’re talking about. He does things in his own way.”

“You know I got to do it,” Mathias replies them. “I have to find it.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” Ryker murmurs, looking at the picture of their parents on the hallway.

“I have to try. He won’t stop killing until he has my blood to break the spell. If the spell is broken, he’d be back to his full potential. More destructions would happen.”

“Let’s go then.” Ryker walks to the direction of the basement fully knowing what they would have to do.

“No,” Mathias objects, shaking his head. “I’m not dragging the two of you into this mess. This is my fault and I will—”

“Brother…” Tanto pats his shoulder. “You’re so full of emotional shits right now and none of us give a shit about it. Obviously, I don’t. We’re coming with you. Good talk.” He follows Ryker who hasn’t stopped walking to the basement. “Come on, princess. We’ve got someone to hunt,” he calls over his shoulder.

Mathias chuckles and jogs to rejoin them. He’d rather not wasting the time to argue back and forth with them because they never listen to him. Just because he holds a higher position in the Council and the pack, it doesn’t mean his authority always works on his brothers.

He feels a lot more confident than he was before. Maybe it’s because his siblings would have his back no matter what happens.

Eva stands at the balcony of one of the watchtowers — looking far ahead of her as the soft blow of wind sweep past. Chaotic thoughts flood her mind, forcing her to close all the mind links to focus. It’s not even a day passed by since the recruitments and yet she couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of her mate being Sebastian Rhody.

“Shouldn’t stay up here all alone.”

Her body shivers at the sound of the voice. Glancing briefly over her shoulder, she shifts her attention back to the vast land of forest.

“How did you get up here?” she asks him. “Recruits aren’t allowed to come up here without authorization.”

But, she’s not going to do anything about it. In fact, she’s glad that he came all the way up here.

“I’m not exactly someone who needs authorization.” Sebastian stands next to her with his hands tucked inside his pocket.

Eva manages to catch a glimpse of his side profile. He looks older than his actual age because of the scruff on his chin. The longer she looks at him, the more she imagines Mathias.

Then, she realizes something. She found her mate but why does her heart still yearn for Mathias knowing that their relationship would have come to an end? She would have to let him go and he would have to do the same. That was the deal they made at the beginning of their relationship. That was the reason why he never marked her. This day would come eventually. They would have to let each other go. But, why her heart refuses to acknowledge that she’s belonged to her mate instead of Mathias?

“If you keep looking at me like that, you’d fall harder,” Sebastian teases her.

Eva only could let out a light chuckle. Why is it so hard for her to accept the truth? Her mate is standing right in front of her and she still sees Mathias.

“Ma’am, The Commanders and their second-in-command are assembling in the portal room,” someone speaks from behind.

Eva peels her eyes off from Sebastian and nods to the Enforcer. “I’d be right there.”

She walks with the Enforcer without a word for Sebastian because she knows if she speaks to him, she would get more confused. For now, it’s best if she keeps her distance apart from Mathias and Sebastian. She needs a day off to clear her mind but with the things happening right now, she has to delay that.

Eva goes straight to the basement where the portal room is. The defense around the room has been tightened. There are Enforcers on every corner of the place. She enters the room and sees the Daemon High Lord is stabilizing the portal with the help of Lady Astrid and her team.

“W-What are you doing?” Eva asks Mathias who is getting ready as if he’s going somewhere for a very long time.

He comes closer to her. “I’m going somewhere with Ryker and Tanto. At the time being, you and Arielle are in charge to keep everything intact until we return.”

“Where are you going?”

“Getting ourselves killed!” Tanto shouts from somewhere around the room. “Nothing’s surprising about that anymore.”

“Mathias, where the hell are you going?” Eva asks.

“No pun intended,” Tanto chuckles.

“Brother, please,” Mathias warns the younger brother who just rolls his eyes. “We’re going to investigate deeper on how they escaped the time loop. And, um,” he pauses. “We’re going to find the weapon to kill him.”

Eva shakes her head, eyes getting teary. “Mathias, you’re—you’re not doing what I’m thinking you’re about to do, aren’t you?”

“Hey, hey,” he grabs her hands. “Everything would be okay. I’d leave everything in your hands now.”

He lets go of her hands and joins his brothers. They stand before the portal as Stefano opens a stabilized pathway for them to the time loop. Mathias glances once at Eva before the portal engulfs the triplet.

With a slow movement, she looks down to her hand and unclenched. The necklace that Mathias wore to control his bloodlust and demon wolf is on her palm. He left the one thing that could keep him in control.

The truth hits her repeatedly.

He went into the portal without the intention to return alive if something goes wrong.